21 Chapter 21-22: Possessed (I-II)

[Day 2]

As Asahi stepped into the room, he immediately noticed the board by the door, covered in keychains. Gym key, auditorium key, classroom keys — he scanned the handwritten labels until his eyes landed on the one he sought.

The minibus key.

Slipping the key into his pocket, he conducted a thorough sweep of the room. To his right, a row of shelves held stacks of students' documents, emitting a musty odor. Then there was an unsuspecting door for the washroom. The only thing that stood out in the room was the bulky CRT television resting on a platform near the windows.

The TV was used in the canon to see the dire state of the world.

He turned his attention to the large desk that dominated the space. Naturally, the desk Shizuka rested her head on was meant for paperwork and documentation, but right now it was being utilized for her relaxation.

And nobody could fault her since most of the school's staff would end up turning into shambling corpses.

Locking the door behind him, Asahi watched as Kyoko strode towards one of the personal teacher's desks. She reached for the landline phone and lifted the receiver, dialing the three digit numbers of police then fire emergency contact numbers. However, both calls yielded the same automated response, indicating an overwhelming volume of calls and a shortage of available operators—likely due to the ongoing crisis they faced.

"Every line seems to be occupied," she remarked in a frustrated tone, casting a brief glance over her shoulder at Asahi. "Do you need to make a call?"

Asahi shook his head. "My only family is right here."

Shizuka had often claimed that their parents lived overseas, but Asahi remained skeptical. If he had parents, he'd have seen them at least once in his life. She had been deceiving him all along. Her lies would have strained her relationship with any normal sibling, but he obviously didn't mind her clumsy attempts to skirt around their parentless status.

Saeko shook her head in a dismissive manner. "Father went overseas for a self-defense conference."

By self-defense, she meant the self-defense forces of Japan. Japan Self-Defense Forces, short for JSDF, were the military forces of Japan existing to defend Japan from direct and indirect aggression as well as being general peacekeepers. Her father had quite the influence within the JSDF.

'He might come in handy later.'

While thinking far into the far future, Asahi regarded Saeko with an exaggerated expression. "I didn't know I was hanging out with the daughters of a bigshot."

"Like it means anything," Shiori said with a bitter smile, unlike Saeko, she didn't seem proud of her father's position in the country. "Kyoko-sensei, you should get in touch with your loved ones."

"I would if I had any," Kyoko replied, returning the receiver to its place before taking a seat. "I left my home at the age of fourteen. Haven't looked back since."

Asahi could discern a bitter undertone in Kyoko's words as she mentioned her past. "Were your parents… abusive?"

"Asahi, we have better things to do than discussing my messed-up past. For starters, we can work on waking up your sister."

She shifted the topic but Asahi got his confirmation through her body language — the raw emotions in her eyes when he called her parents abusive confirmed his suspicions. She had a well-established reputation in the academy as a woman who was constantly frustrated and unsatisfied with her life. However, the true cause of her intimidating demeanor had been unknown until now.

Nobody could have known that the short-tempered teacher actually had a troubled upbringing. 

"Kyoko-sensei is right," Saeko added in Kyoko's support. "We have to set our priority on leaving the school alive."

Shiori rested her bokken on her shoulder, her grin oozing with confidence. "The elite forces of Fujimi will survive the end of the world."

Saeko slapped the back of her twin sister's head. "It's not the end of the world. The virus has just started. The scientists will find a vaccine before long."

Kyoko's glance shifted to Asahi. He had the cure to the curse but she did well in not bringing it before the twins, likely waiting for a better opportunity to reveal it.

Shiori rubbed the back of her head. "I was trying to lighten the mood…"

"Don't."

Amused by the sisters' shenanigans, Asahi walked up to Shizuka and gave her shoulder a few heavy pats. She lifted her head with a drowsy blink, appearing to be caught between sleep and wakefulness.

"I'm dreaming of Aa-kun now…" she whispered with a silly expression, as if her current state prevented her from registering the three ladies in the room. "If it's a dream, can I say anything I want?"

Asahi would have loved to hear her deepest, darkest secrets for him, but now was possibly the worst time and place. If the secret turned out to be something sexual, which it was most likely going to be, Shizuka would lose her dignity in front of Saeko and Shiori.

With Shizuka's current mindset, she'd undoubtedly grow depressed over it.

As a loving brother, he simply couldn't allow his sister to sink into the abyss of depressio .

"No, you can't," Asahi insisted and shook Shizuka's shoulders until her sleepiness faded away. "Nee-san, are you with us?"

[–Kyoko Hayashi: Affection +4]

[–Saeko Busujima: Affection +3]

His decision to stop Shizuka earned him some goodwill from the bespectacled teacher and the sadistic senpai.

Shizuka, now fully awake, formed an 'O' with her mouth. When she looked at the other ladies in the room, her confusion deepened further. "Aa-kun, why are you here? Why are they here?"

"Well, we have to—" His explanation was abruptly halted by a piercing shriek, though not the one he had been anticipating. He gestured towards the rising smoke outside the window. "Let's just ignore that for now. Nee-san, don't lose your mind over what I'm about to say."

Shizuka nodded. "I believe in Aa-kun."

"A zombie outbreak happened when you were sleeping."

"A zombie outbreak? Am I still dreaming?" She pinched her cheek, hard enough to leave a red mark. "I am not… Why is Aa-kun saying strange things? Is he still drunk?"

(Oh my, Nee-san is starting to question reality.)

Kyoko slammed her hand on the table, bringing everyone's attention, including a bunch of undead outside, to her. "What do you mean by 'he is still drunk'? Shizuka, did you let your younger brother consume alcohol?"

Shizuka averted her eyes from Kyoko's piercing gaze. "I-I insisted, but he didn't listen to me. I'm sorry for being a bad influence in his life!"

Thus began the self-depreciation of his older sister.

Asahi glared at Kyoko. "Lady, we have better things to do than arguing over a can of beer."

Kyoko's face flushed at his rebuttal. "I-I got carried away. We—"

Growls echoed outside as an undead began clawing at the door, the scraping sound making everyone uncomfortable.

Kyoko's demeanor shifted from embarrassment to fear in an instant. "I'm sorry, Asahi. I didn't mean to…"

Asahi slapped Kyoko's back, causing her to yelp in surprise. "Just don't do it again."

Drawing his sharp ax, he casually unlocked the door to reveal a tall male figure in a formal suit. The visitor would be a fine gentleman if half of his arm wasn't missing and his eyes weren't as red as blood.

'Koro-sensei?'

Asahi recognized the man through his neatly trimmed hair. The man in his early forties, Koro Kobayashi, was one of the most popular teachers at the academy for his friendliness and for recently losing his daughter to an unknown heart disease. Rumors had it that he and Kyoko were dating, but Asahi could hardly see the cold teacher settling to be a married man's girlfriend.

She was simply too proud and egocentric to be a side chick.

Kyoko swiftly spun her chair around, and her hand reflexively shot up to cover her quivering mouth. Her widened eyes stared in disbelief, her mind unable to comprehend what she was witnessing. "Koro-sensei! No, why… why did you become one of them?!"

Asahi braced himself, expecting the undead creature to lunge at him, but instead, the undead, Kuro-sensei, fixed his unblinking gaze upon Kyoko. The crimson tint in his eyes gradually faded, revealing a semblance of normalcy — a shade of blue drenched in sorrow. 

A feeble smile formed on Koro-sensei's blood-stained lips. "K-Kyoko."

Asahi couldn't help but marvel at witnessing a man regaining some semblance of control despite being consumed by the curse.

(He is fighting Decay's influence with sheer willpower. He can't hold it for too long though.)

'Will the injection work on him?'

Koro-sensei was a nice guy, and Asahi didn't mind helping nice people as long as they weren't utter fools, and as long as the helping part didn't require too much effort.

(His Decay has progressed too far. The potion in your possession can suppress the Decay, but then he'll succumb to his injuries. You'll need an expensive healing potion for him.)

'Forget it.'

The kindness to Karma Points ratio didn't sit well with him, so he threw away the idea of helping Koro. It simply wasn't worth it.

Kyoko wordlessly stared at Koro, unable to get over the shock of finding her friend in such a dire state. "Koro-sensei, you are still there…?"

Koro managed a stuttering nod, his fingers trembling as if defiantly resisting the grasp of Decay. "I can't... I can't bear these voices anymore... kill me... end me. Kyoko, kill me! KILL ME. KILL ME, KYOKO! WHY AREN'T YOU KILLING ME?!"

His voice grew sharp and piercing as he got on his knees and began screeching. The sound reverberated through the room, shattering windows and forcing Saeko, Shiori, and Shizuka to cover their ears.

Asahi could easily withstand the shrill cries, but he was surprised that Kyoko remained unfazed. He noticed a faint, flickering jade glow enveloping her form, akin to the aura of ki surrounding the characters from the DragonBall universe, albeit on a much smaller scale.

(She is possessed.)

'Wait, is it her?'

At this stage, only two beings were capable of possession in the world — one sought death and the other sought to nurture. The gentle aura belonged to the latter.

(Yup, it's Gaia. Look at Koro, my love. He is evolving.)

He turned his curious gaze to Koro. Black veins wriggled out of the teacher's mutilated arm; they coiled and twisted, forming a new, more beastly arm with sharp, menacing claws. Koro's figure seemed to swell as if he was on the verge of transforming into an even more horrifying being.

Asahi couldn't let the evolution happen since it would put Shizuka's life in danger.

However, before he could take action, Kyoko dashed past him and brought her baton down on Koro's head. The baton, covered in a jade glow, made contact with a resounding thud, cracking open Koro's skull upon impact.

Feral growls erupted from Koro's throat as he instinctively covered his shattered skull. Each growl grew weaker and weaker, until finally, he fell forward and collapsed. Dark viscous fluids, its color reminiscent of the black veins of Decay, seeped out of his broken skull.

Kyoko lost her aura as the deity ended her possession. The sudden absence of divine energy left her weak, her legs giving way beneath her.

Asahi swiftly caught her in his arms, feeling the weight of her trembling body against his chest. Gently, he assisted her in sitting on the nearest chair. "Take it easy."

(Gaia must have seen your potential. She wanted to help you survive by killing the threat through possession.)

'She should've said something before leaving.'

(Typical goddess ego.)

'Where is yours?'

(Ground to dust during our first plap plap smash.)

'Haha.'

"I-It's over?" Shizuka asked as she walked over to Asahi, only to freeze upon seeing Koro's corpse. Her face twisted in fear. "B-Blood! Aa-kun, close your eyes!"

"I'm fine, Nee-san," he reassured Shizuka with a wry smile. "Geez, I'm not a kid anymore."

She still couldn't help but feel worried sick. "But…"

"It smells like decaying corpses of mice, but ten times worse," Shiori interjected, scrunching her nose in disgust. "Kyoko-san, what the heck was that green thing?"

"Worry about them first," Saeko retorted and pulled Shiori away. "Asahi-kun, the noise will draw many of them to us. Should we barricade the door?"

Asahi shook his head. "Saeko, take Nee-san to a seat and help her calm down."

Shizuka raised her brows, puzzled. "I'm calm, Aa-kun."

"Listen to me."

"Aa-kun…"

Saeko was a pro kendoka, and Shizuka had zero workout experience outside of some stretches. It didn't take Saeko long to gently push Shizuka to the furthest chair where she couldn't see the corpse.

Right now, Saeko seemed like an adult and Shizuka a high schooler.

Asahi turned to Shiori. "Close the door and find something to cover the body."

Shiori seemed awed by his ability to calmly dish out orders after witnessing the supernatural occurrence moments prior. "Hai."

After closing the door, Shiori went through the cabinets and quickly found what looked like a stash of student uniforms. She immediately threw them over the body and heaved a sigh of relief.

"So much better…"

Kyoko, meanwhile, continuously stared at Koro-sensei, severely traumatized from witnessing her friend lying dead right before her. The silence in the room was broken only by her sporadic, shallow breaths. "How did it happen? Did I doze off?"

"I dunno. Something snapped out in you, and you swung the baton at his head." Asahi obviously couldn't reveal that she was possessed by the Earth Goddess, so he came up with the most logical excuse. "It was impossible to save him."

Kyoko looked at him in surprise then furrowed her brows. "Something doesn't seem right. Why do I not remember hitting him?"

"Like I said, we can worry later. Right—"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!" A loud, piercing shriek, unmistakably familiar, resonated through the air. After hearing Saya yell at Takashi for nearly two years, Asahi couldn't mistake her voice for anyone else.

Asahi's lips curled into a small, knowing smile. Assuming a concerned expression, he glanced at Shiori. "That's Saya, isn't it?"

The shriek saved from explaining anything to Kyoko, and more importantly, it signaled his meeting with the tsundere girl, Saya Takagi, the daughter of Milf Yuriko.

Shiori raised her brows in surprise. "She must be up against the zombies. Can we help her?"

"I'll go alone." He looked over to Shizuka and Saeko. "Saeko, Shiori, barricade the door and wait for us to return."

Kyoko's condition was fragile. He couldn't take her anywhere. Leaving her behind alone wasn't an option either. Leaving Shizuka and Kyoko with the twins was the best option.

Just as he moved, Shizuka grabbed his hand. "Aa-kun, take me with you. If we're to die at the zombie's hands, I want us to be together until the end."

Shizuka knew she wasn't good at fighting, and her survival skills were terrible, to say the least. Surrounded by zombies without help from the police was as good as a death sentence for a hopeless woman like her.

So, she chose the best outcome in the worst possible scenario — perishing together.

Asahi was taken back by her apprehensions, and her lack of trust in him.

"Nee-san." He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "I won't let any of us die, you hear me? Zombies or whatever, I'll kill them all and survive until the end."

The warmth coming from him and sheer confidence oozing from his voice reassured Shizuka. She stopped trembling and eased up.

[–Shizuka Marikawa: Affection +9]

[–Saeko Busujima: Affection +5]

[–Shiori Busujima: Affection +8]

[–Kyoko Hayashi: Affection +14]

Somehow his Shonen protagonist-esque speech earned him affection points from every lady in the room.

Shizuka pressed her head against his chest. "Forgive Nee-san for saying such weird stuff. I didn't realize Aa-kun could be so reliable."

Kyoko rose from her seat, looking more composed than she did moments ago. "I don't want to stay here. Asahi, I'll come with you. As weak as I am, I can help you kill one or two of them."

Shiori pumped her fist. "Let's all hurry to save Saya-chan."

...

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